Where it all began
by Kaarina Riddle
Summary: Dudley Dursley, Demelza Robins-Dursley, Andrea Dursley, Harry Potter Summary: Two complete strangers meet in a busy cafe and become quick friends…. one has a massive secret! Join Dudley, Demelza and Andrea on their journey and see where it takes them! Let's go back to where it all began…..
1. Prufock Meetings

**Prompt:**

 **Dudley marries a witch (either knowingly or unknowing) and has a magical child.**

 **Fic Name: Where it all began…**  
 **Rating: T**  
 **Characters: Dudley Dursley, Demelza Robins-Dursley, Andrea Dursley, Harry Potter**  
 **Summary: Two complete strangers meet in a busy cafe and become quick friends…. one has a massive secret! Join Dudley, Demelza and Andrea on their journey and see where it takes them! Let's go back to where it all began…..**  
 **Prompt: Dudley marries a witch (either knowingly or unknowingly) and has a magical child.**  
 **Warnings/Triggers: N/A**  
 **A/N: Harry Potter characters are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.**

 **"If love is not all, then it is nothing: this principle, and its opposite, collide down all the years of my breathless tale" quote taken from The Moors last sigh by Salmen Rushdie.**

 **Alpha/Beta love: Thank you so much to my amazing beta for all you do for me! You are amazing SandraSempra and I don't know where I would be without you! Thank you again you amazing and beautiful person!**

 **Chapter One: Prufock Meetings**

Dudley Dursley looked around as he entered the cafe. His workmates had recommended coming here for the coffee and pie, so as soon as his lunch hour arrived, here he was. _Prufock_ was filled to the brim with people, but apparently that was part of the appeal: you could be surrounded by people, but still be left completely alone. He found a table down at back of the cafe and sat down in the booth-like chair.

Not long after he settled in, a waitress came by and took his order, leaving him to get comfortable. His thoughts trailed to that of his father's company, and how he had left it because he couldn't deal with the pressures anymore. He came to despise how his father treated him and his mother after Harry had left. It was horrible coming back to London, seeing his old family home destroyed. So he had paid someone to rebuild it and moved his mother back in.

He went and got himself an apartment in the main city working in a bank. Though it was a boring job, he wouldn't be found easily by his old friends as he would rather leave that life behind.

Once he had seen what his cousin was really going through and his family being made to leave their home, he changed a lot. He wanted to meet Harry again now that he was a different person, and build bridges that were long ago burned from an upbringing of prejudices to being different. Dudley knew they wouldn't be best friends at this point, but he hoped they could at least become closer than they were.

He had searched for Harry on and off over the past months to no avail, uncertain to reaching the right place to get in contact with his cousin. He felt he owed him that much. Owed _himself_ that much.

There was a clear of a throat and the shuffle of feet, Dudley peered up to a girl with long, straight black hair and brown eyes. "Yes?" He asked her, pondering why she was standing so close to his table.

"I'm sorry, but I was wondering if I could sit here? I won't bother you, there's nowhere else to sit and I'd really like to have a relaxing lunch break that involves sitting down." Smiling at Dudley, the girl gestured toward the seat across from him.

"Sure, I won't be too much longer. I'm a quick eater." He fell back into his own thoughts, trying to ignore her, but found himself looking up at her while she was distracted by the menu.

There was something about this girl that had him intrigued, and he flinched as she noticed him staring at her. She smiled curiously at his blushing reaction.

"What's your name?" Dudley asked her.

"Demelza Robins, and you are?" Quirking her eyebrow, she hoped he would answer her.

"Dudley Dursley, what brings you here?" He smiled nervously at her.

"I decided I needed a change of scenery from my usual lunch place, and this one spoke to me."

"Where do you normally go?" Wondering where she would go that she needed to change her usual spot.

Demelza flicked her eyes to the side, avoiding making eye contact. "Oh.. um… it's a little restaurant close to my work, not widely known." She paused briefly. "Where do you work?" She asked, changing the subject from the place she usually goes.

"I work as a Financial Officer for the Royal Bank. It's not much, but it's better than working with my father." He casually took a sip of his drink and a bite of the bread roll before picking up his spoon and tasting the pie for the first time. He groaned from how good it felt moving down his throat and how tasty it was.

When he opened his eyes, Demelza was watching him curiously. He laughed and said, "I kind of like my food. When I was younger my metabolism wasn't very high so I was quite _big_ , but I worked hard while I was away for a couple of years and changed my whole outlook. I still love to indulge at times".

She smiled in response. "I couldn't imagine you being anything more than you are now."

"Anyway.. enough about me, where do you work?" Feeling slightly self conscious about what he looked like.

"I work in a government position…" Her voice trailing off, knowing she couldn't say anymore than that. Working for the Ministry of Magic was hard sometimes, especially when she had to talk to her muggle friends. But that was okay as she loved the work and challenges she faced.

It wasn't before long they had finished their lunch after a long chat and parted ways, both hoping they would bump into one another again. Dudley asked her many times in his head for the girl's number, but refrained, feeling silly being so forward after knowing her only an hour over lunch.

 **oOo**

Demelza had been waiting at their table for over twenty minutes, and still no sign of the enigmatic man she had sat with yesterday. She wanted some of Tom's famous minestrone soup and his homemade bread, but she wanted even more to see Dudley. Yesterday's lunch break was the most fun she had in awhile.

They had gotten on so well, and Demelza saw him becoming someone she could call a good friend if they got the chance to see each other again. With a sigh, she gave up, walking around the corner to the apparation point to head back to the Leaky Cauldron when the door of the cafe opened. In walked the subject of her thoughts, peering around the tables for a minute before his eyes locked with hers.

Walking over to her with a quickened pace, he sat down and smiled. "You're here, I thought it was a long shot, but I didn't want to miss you if I could help it."

"You wanted to see me again?" She questioned, her cheeks turning a hint of pink.

"Of course! It was fun yesterday, and if I could help it, I would much rather spend my lunch breaks with you over my work mates." He gave her a slanted smile.

"Shall we make it a regular thing then? Not every day, of course. I mean if you don't want to that is, but more than never?" The light pink of her cheeks blushed to red at her own rambling.

"Definitely make it a regular thing."

Demelza was surprised she had made such a big impression on the first day, she too would rather the company of this muggle than the witches and wizards that she spent most of her day with. A waitress came over and took their order, neither one leaving the other's eyes from the other as they both repeated their order from the previous day.

"So, what do you like to do on the weekends?" Dudley's curiosity was winning out.

"I like to read or go to one of the museums around London. I also found this neat little restaurantI quite often go to on a Saturday night. What do you do?"

"I spend most of my time at the gym and sports centre. I used to go and see my parents often, but my father works a lot on the weekends now so there's not much point. I still make it a point to see mum once a month."

"That's nice of you. Most of my family died in a horrible accident a few years back, so I take care of my little sister sometimes. She's old enough to be at boarding school now, so I don't see her as much as I'd like." Her tone was melancholic.

"Boarding school? Why boarding school?"

"She didn't fit in at public schools, and was having a hard time after our parents died." Dudley saw a flicker of something in her eyes, but ignored the feeling there was more to her story than she was saying.

"Does she like it at the boarding school?" Demelza blinked up at him.

"Yes, she does. It's a pretty exclusive and fun boarding school and we made a lot of lifelong friends there. She's one of the top students of her year." Demelza's tone held a hint of pride in her voice.

"That must make you proud that she's doing so well, even after losing your parents."

"It does. She's come a long way and I can't wait to see what she makes of herself." Looking around the cafe, she noticed more people had come and gone than she realised. The last two days of eating with Dudley had been perfect and it seemed as if everything and everyone disappeared, leaving them in their own little bubble of space.

"When's the next time that you can meet here?" Dudley questioned her.

"Tomorrow and Thursday, I'll be out of the office with my boss, but Friday I can meet you?" She said smiling across the table at him.

"Friday is perfect" They both stood and walked out of the cafe looking forward to the next two days passing by so they could see their newfound friend again.

 **oOo**

Dudley was lying in bed the night before his mother's birthday and still hadn't purchased her anything. He had been searching for weeks, but nothing stood out. He was going to go for one last shopping trip tomorrow but wouldn't have much time before dinner because he didn't want to miss his lunch time meetup with Demelza. It had been two weeks since they met in the cafe, and every time he saw her his day brightened considerably.

They had been meeting nearly every day and texting back and forth, never really having a day where they didn't talk. He had placed his phone on the charger as he was turned over to turn off the light off. His phone vibrated as he settled in bed, alerting him to a text.

 _"Hey :)"_ Demelza's name flashed across his screen.

A smile took over his face and he knew he wasn't going to go back to sleep anytime soon. He would much rather stay up late talking to her than be well rested the next day.

He quickly typed back a reply _"hey ;) how are you doing?"_

Moving into a seated position, he awaited her response, it was mere seconds before another text came through. " _I'm good, laying in bed and wanted to talk to you, how are you?"_

 _"I'm laying in bed as well, I'm great now, thinking of where I'm going to go to get mum's presents tomorrow after work"_ He pressed send quickly before he changed his wording.

Demelza had him second guessing everything he did and said, hoping he wouldn't say the wrong thing. She made him feel something deep within himself and he wanted to be everything she dreamed of.

 _"Would you like to go during lunch? We can reschedule, I wouldn't want you to miss the perfect present"_ as he read her last text he refused to reschedule.

 _"I don't want to miss having lunch with you, though"_

There, he had sent it and there was no taking his words back. She would now see that their lunches were the thing he looked forward to most.

 _"I can help you, we can grab our lunch to go and that way you'll have a woman's opinion on the presents"_ A smile took over his features, he liked that plan. He would get to spend time with her _and_ get the present. The best of both worlds. He could relax before going to dinner with his parents as lately they hadn't had a lot to say to him.

He knew he had disappointed them when he had left the drilling company, choosing to work in a bank instead.

 _"That would be perfect, what time are you going to lunch tomorrow so I can make sure to leave then too"_

Now that he knew they would still meet, he was more cheerful about shopping for the present.

His phone dinged again and he read the message _"I was thinking one, that way I might be able to take a longer lunch if you need it"_

Thinking whether he could afford a longer lunch and realising he wouldn't have much to do, he text back _"that sounds great, I'll be able to take a two hour break tomorrow so we might even be able to eat at the cafe or somewhere and then go and look for the presents"_

Yawning he looked at the time and calculated he was only going to get six hours instead of his usual eight hours sleep, but didn't mind one bit when he got to talk to her. _"Okay, sounds like a plan, I really wish I could talk more but if I'm going to have any chance of waking up in the morning and getting to work on time I better get to sleep"_

Laughing as he was thinking the same thing _"I had better do the same! See you tomorrow at one :D have a good sleep"_

He waited for her to text back before placing his phone on the bedside table and closing his eyes. _"Night Dudley, sleep well :) see you tomorrow!"_

Rolling over, he fell asleep with a smile on his face, already looking forward to waking up in the morning.

 **oOo**

Demelza had been ansty all day. Since the moment she had woken up and remembered she was going to see Dudley today, she had a giant grin painted on her face. Everyone at work had asked her why she was so happy as she usually would walk around in a dreamlike state that held people back from her. They all knew it was a mask, but they didn't want to interrupt her musings.

Her lunch hour finally arrived, her morning had trudged along which resulted in Demelza checking her wristwatch every few minutes. Her boss allowed her to take the extended break, knowing it would be a reason of importance as she did her work with efficiency. He/she thought it would bring her a much needed peace.

Walking from work to the cafe allowed her some time to think. Dudley had managed his way into her every thoughts lately and she didn't know what to think of that. She never let anyone in besides her parents and sister before the war, and was a weird feeling having someone else to talk to that listened.

Looking around the cafe she saw Dudley had once again picked their table to sit at. He had already ordered their usual and was sitting there peering at his phone frowning.

"Hey, why so glum?" His head instantly rose and the frown disappeared, replaced with a smile stretching across his lips.

"Oh, reading a message from my father. I'll deal with it later though! How was work this morning?" Placing his phone in his pant's pocket, he turned all of his attention to her and made her fall a little bit more.

"It was fair; extremely quiet but good. I almost didn't wake up in time! How was your morning?" She sat down,taking a sip of her coffee before looking into his cobalt, blue eyes, momentarily getting lost for a second before he spoke up.

"Lots of customers but it was rather nice. I, too, had troubles waking up, but it was definitely worth it." he said smiling across at her. There was the smile that took her breath away again. How could she ever think to hold a conversation with him if he kept sending her off into dream world with a simple look.

She was falling, and fast, and she didn't know what to make of it., It wasn't normal for her to be enamoured with someone but she was.

Demelza would have to deal with whatever came at her when it came. For now though, she was here to help him pick a gift for his mother. And from what he had said of her, his mother was one of his favourite people in his life. He would want to have the gift reflect his love for her. They finished eating and found the closest mall. When they arrived, they went to the homewares stores first.

They took to the shelves, where Demelza caught her focus more on the man she arrived with rather than the items on display. She blushed when he caught her eyes on him, pulling her focus to a vase in front of her. Holding it up, she showed off the crystal with painted roses embossed into it. When Dudley smiled in response, taking the vase from her in a nod, she breathed a wistful sigh.

"Where do you think we should go now?" Dudley questioned her whilst looking at the many stores around him and having no idea where to go next. He wasn't a "shopping" kind of guy.

Demelza looked at her watch and realised that one and a half hours had passed and they had already used half of their time in the cafe and the one store. They would have to use the rest of their time wisely.

"How about we go to that Jewellers we saw on the way in? Or the digital media store?" She suggested.

"Jewellers first, then the digital media store." Thinking they could get something from both stores.

"Sure, if we don't take long in both places we can get some wrapping paper to wrap them and some flowers to go in the vase once she opens it?" Smiling up at him, she hoped she wasn't being too forceful with everything.

Walking in a comfortable silence to the jewellers they looked at the display cases, but Dudley kept pulling faces at everything they saw. Demelza checked her watch again. "We've got about an hour left, Dudley."

"Oh, let me look in this last case and then we can go next door."Anxiously, he walked over to the last case he looked inside. Demelza stood at another case closeby, looking for something she could send to her sister for her birthday.

About to give up on finding anything for her sister, she found something that might be perfect for his mother: a sterling silver chain with a pendant on one end. The pendant itself had two circles and a heart. She eyed the heart more intently, seeing two little footprints cut into it. She smiled at the two circles, thinking it would be perfect to engrave Dudley's name and birthdate or his mother's name. It was something her mother would have loved, maybe his would too.

Calling him over, she showed him what she had found and his face lit up. it was perfect. The jeweller quickly engraved his name and his birthdate and wrapped it neatly in a little box.

Having found the perfect item, they walked out of the store with forty five minutes left of their lunch breaks. They went into the digital media store to see what they could find there quickly.

Ten minutes ticked by before Dudley found a digital frame he could put a microSD card in or a USB drive and have a slideshow of her favourite pictures. He had these at home already to give to her so she could place them on her computer, but this was way better. They quickly bought the frame and rushed to find a news agency. Picking out some wrapping paper and birthday card, they sat in the middle of the centre wrapping everything.

"She's going to love these Dud, you did well!" Demelza said with a smile.

"I couldn't have managed this without your help. You found the chain afterall," Touching his hand to hers he continued, "thank you for helping, I really appreciate it."

After he pulled his hand away from hers, she could still feel where it had been. His hands were soft and had felt so good on hers. Shaking the feeling off quickly, she finished the last present and asked whether they should get some flowers now or if he wanted to go and get a coffee before going back to work.

"I should probably get the flowers after work so they don't ruin, let's get that coffee" he said while standing and gathering the presents.

It was a quick stop at the coffee stop and then a mad rush to get back to work, both again wishing they could have spent more time together.

 **oOo**

Dudley had been attempting to do this for weeks now. When he had walked into that cafe, he had never in his wildest imagination thought he would meet one of the most amazing people She was everything he had dreamed of for his perfect girl and more.

They had planned to meet for breakfast before going to work, and Dudley thought this was the perfect opportunity to ask her out on a proper date. She would be fresh and open-minded, willing to listen, and it would be a quieter atmosphere so he didn't chicken out because of the noise and the crowd.

He walked into the cafe and saw her sitting in their wonted spot, waiting for him with their usual coffee order and a serving of raisin bread they both enjoyed. _Perfect,_ he wouldn't be interrupted by a waitress; he could ask straight away and not overthink it in his head.

Sitting down across from her with a smile, he took a sip of his coffee to build his courage up. She seemed to know he had something planned because she was silently eyeing him intently.

"I wanted to ask you something and want you to really consider it. It's important." His words poured out of his mouth quickly, his nerves getting the better of him.

"Anything Dudley."

Swallowing hard, he took the plunge. "I wanted to know if you would go to dinner with me…"

"Why would that be something I have to consider, I eat lunch with you everyday anyway." Her words made it evident to Dudley that she wasn't catching on.

"Not any dinner, Demelza. I want to know if you would like to have dinner with me. On a date I've been trying to ask you for weeks." Dudley flicked his eyes down at the table, seeming to be suddenly interested in the design, not wanting her to see how nervous he was of her reply.

"Dudley, look at me" she said in a forceful tone and continued once he made eye contact, "of course I would like to go on a date with you. I think that is a wonderful idea. I've been hoping that our lunches and friendship would go further for a while now."

Dudley sighed in relief. "Oh thank god. I thought because I'm not exactly a ' _top catch_ ' you wouldn't want to be with me."

Demelza's face fell. How dare he think he wasn't good enough. "You are the perfect person for me, Dudley. We fit so well together and _have_ fit together since day one. Never think you aren't enough for me."

After they had gotten the tension out of the way, they had agreed on a time and date for their dinner, and Friday couldn't arrive fast enough. Their breakfast went easier after that, and they laughed together, both finding it funny neither had acted on their feelings sooner. Dudley walked Demelza to the train station, then strode back to the bank a happy man. He had forced himself out of his comfort zone, and in result snagged a date with his dream girl.

 **oOo**


	2. Dates and Suspicions

Thank you again SS for betaing this chapter and story, without you this would be possible! Love you boo xxx

 **Chapter Two: Dates and Suspicions**

Date night had arrived, and Dudley would be lying if he said he wasn't nervous. He had been on a few dates before, but never followed up with a second, no matter how swell the first dates had gone. Demelza, however, would definitely be the exception, He liked knowing they were friends, and he could be slightly more comfortable around her than he had been with others.

Arriving at her apartment building, he stood on the front step, gathering himself and giving himself a quick look over to ensure sure he looked alright.

His shirt was a navy blue button up with a design of black thin lines extending over the fabric, He was wearing black dress pants and had a coat in the car for her, in case it got cold and they say chivalry is dead.. All in all, he thought he looked pretty good. With a wave of newfound confidence, he took a deep breath and buzzed her apartment, growing anxious as he waited for her to unlock the front door to allow him into the the sound of the lock unclicked erupted, he briskly strode up to the third floor and knocked on her apartment door.

When the door opened his draw went agape. She was standing in the doorframe, wearing a purple chiffon dress extended to above her knee and had paired it with matching high heels. Accenting her waist, was a thick black belt that defined her figure and, her hair was straight over her shoulder. She had dusted her face with a light blush and her lips shimmered from the lip gloss she applied.

"Dudley! Are you ready? Our reservation is for six-thirty, right?" She prodded.

"Um… yeah sure let's go." Dudley shook off his stupor. Extending his arm, she closed the apartment and then lead her down to the car. He opened the passenger door to let her in before getting in, placing his seat belt on securely. He gave her another glance over, then drove to the restaurant.

The Polkiss was a five star restaurant booked out months in advance, but Dudley knew the chef and owner personally as they were friends. Aiming to impress, he had gotten a table without the wait, walking in at exactly six twenty-five. When they were taken to their seat near the kitchens, the table had been laid out with candles accented with a bundle of flowers in the center.

All around them people were sat down enjoying the quiet and relaxed atmosphere. The waitress seated them both and placed a serviette on each of their laps before exiting to the kitchens. A moment later, the doors opened again to reveal Dudley's friend, Piers Polkiss, in his chefs uniform coming over to the table. He pulled a chair over and sat down. "Dudders, how are you my friend?"

Dudley scowled at the use of the name his mother used to call him and punched his friend in the arm, "Is that really the way to treat your best friend, Dudley? I could call over my security and have you removed if you want? _I_ would rather enjoy having dinner with the lovely lady here." He winked at Demelza, who instantly blushed and looked back at Dudley.

Dudley laughed "Yeah right, mate, you are too infatuated with your wife and mother of your children to even have eyes for anyone else, especially my date!"

Piers smiled over at the woman manning the bar and nodded in agreeance. "Anyway, I came out to take your order personally and to tell you that anything you want to drink is on the house. Just let Illiana know, and she will bring it over personally."

Dudley perused the menu and ordered his usual Chef's special chicken and Demelza said she'd take the same. Piers walked back to the kitchen and sent some breadsticks out and got started on their meals.

"I hope you didn't get offended by his boisterous attitude. He can be a bit much sometimes."

"Oh not at all! I thought it was funny and kind of cute you are still so close to your childhood friend. I work with all of my school mates so I kinda have to, but you've held this friendship." She smiled over at him.

"He's been my friend since we started preschool" Dudley looked at the kitchen and a smile spread across his features at the memories flooding to the front of his mind with all they had done since they had left school. Dudley didn't really look back on those thoughts much anymore as he didn't like his behaviour from them.

Demelza watched his face as he obviously was remembering long ago moments with his friend when she caught his face change from smiling to frowning. She knew there must have been something bad about his past with his friend as she can relate about having a difficult past.

"What's brought that look onto your face?" She questioned him, trying to snap him away from it.

"Oh, I was remembering how we were before my family left for a while and I didn't like me back then. I was a kind of a bully." She frowned, instantly regretting asking as it clearly upset him more Demelza grabbed onto his hand and gave it a squeeze.

"I'm sure you have changed from your young self since then, forget it." She smiled as Piers's wife walked over with a bottle of wine and placed it on the table.

"I thought you might like this one, it's the best brand we have." Illiana raised a brow at them in question before opening it up.

"Thank you, Illiana, this one is perfect." Dudley responded and watched her light up. She popped the cork and poured some into both their glasses, then left them to it.

Piers came out a few minutes later with their food and conversation was stilted while they both ate. As they finished their meal he came back and asked, "How was it? Up to your high expectations, Dud? I hope you enjoyed it, Demelza. If you would like anything for dessert let me know." he bowed and waited for them to finish their last mouth full.

"It was amazing as always Piers, I don't want anything, what about you Deme?" Looking back to his date he waited, holding his breath hoping she enjoyed the meal and was happy with the location he chose to take her.

"I loved the different textures you had within the food and it melted in my mouth. I don't think I have room or any dessert either!" Piers smirked proudly down at her. Dudley promised they would be back again before saying their goodbyes to to his friend and wife.

Demelza was quiet on the way back to her apartment and Dudley nervously wondered why she had suddenly withdrawn into herself. Not wanting to pressure her, left her to her thoughts. When they reached her door, she looked up at him and smiled, "Do you want to come in for a coffee or something?"

"I'd better not this time. I wouldn't want to push too far to fast, for now. I'll leave you with this and thank you for an amazing evening. I will see you tomorrow for lunch." He leant down and slanted his full lips over hers, taking the breath away as he deepened the kiss, slowly pulling away, smiling. He waited until she had walked into the apartment to leave with a smile across his face, looking forward to seeing her tomorrow and another date.

 **oOo**

Demelza was scared, excited and happy; she was feeling a kaleidoscope of emotions all at once. Dudley had thought it was time she met his parents. He had been talking to them about her for months as his friend and then when she had accepted his date and helped him pick out his mother's present, picking something that was perfect for her, he knew he wouldn't be letting go. He told her he hoped by introducing her to his parents,it would prove how much he was committed to her.

Pulling every outfit she owned out of her cupboard, she looked through them in exasperation. Knowing what his parents were like from stories he had told her, she narrowed it down to five outfits.

There was a red dress that reached her knees with minimal floral patterns not entirely obvious to the eye unless you were close enough see them, It was elegant, but not over the top.

Then there was a black dress that would also reach slightly above her knee, it had a white symmetrical pattern on the chest and would suit her skin tone.

The third dress was slightly longer in length and would fit to her form. Beige in colour, the dress had diagonal stripes, and a slight belt around the middle that had a silver and diamond buckle that would sit at her waist and look elegant.

Then there was the white oxford blouse with a navy blue pencil skirt and matching blazer. This was elegant, but she didn't think it was the fit for what she was doing tonight, so she placed it back into the cupboard. And then there were four.

The last outfit sitting on the bed was a forest green dress that would sit below her knees. It was form fitting at the bust, and had a flowing skirt that would swish as she walked.

She stood there for a moment trying to decide and finally came to the conclusion of wearing green dress as would fit the best for what she needed. Pairing it with her long, black overcoat and a nice pair of black heels. Once she had decided on the final touches, she went into her bathroom and had a shower to begin getting ready, decided on loose flowing curls for her hair to frame her face. Aas she was applying her sheer lip gloss on, she heard a knock at her door and couldn't suppress a smile. Of course Dudley was on time, it was probably pushed upon him on by his parents from a young age.

When she opened the door to let him in so she could slip her shoes on, she found Dudley still hadn't moved. He was standing with his jaw agape, staring at where she had been standing. "Dudley, are you going to say something or stand there all night?" With a slight chuckle she turned around to look at him.

Shaking his stupor off he finally spoke, "Sorry…. you look absolutely gorgeous, Deme" Blushing, she shuffled her feet.

"Thank you, Dudley, you look extremely handsome." Looking him up and down at the dress pants and the navy blue button up shirt with a black jacket.

"Shall we go?" He said holding his arm out for her to take.

They walked down the stairs to his car and drove to his parents house. As they got closer to actually being there, her feelings of excitement and happiness were fully replaced with nervousness. What if they didn't like her and Dudley stopped seeing her because of that?

"We are here, you ready?" He asked, placing his hand over hers that was sat on her knee.

"As ready as I'll ever be. Dudley, what if they don't like me? " Her nerves were showing on her face, and her voice made the faintest of cracks when she spoke.

"That is not even in the realm of what I'm worrying about. You are perfect for me and they will see that. They will love you." He reassured her, giving her a kiss on the cheek. Getting out of the car, he walked around to her side and helped her out before they walked to the front door. Dudley flashed her one last smile before knocking on the door.

A couple of minutes later, his mother emerged with a giant smile on her face. "Dudley! I'm so happy you came and with this gorgeous young lady on your arm! I'm Petunia Dursley." She beamed, holding her hand out for Demelza to take.

"I'm Demelza Robins, thank you for having me over for dinner. I'm so glad I could meet you." Shaking Petunias hand, she followed her in whilst keeping a firm hold of Dudleys hand and was quickly introduced to his father.

They sat down to cocktails in the lounge and then dinner was served. They were merry the whole dinner and at the end, Petunia told her she was welcome to come to their usual Sunday night family dinner. With the pleasantries of the evening coming to an end, Dudley drove her home.

When they arrived home Demelza invited him in for a coffee and they ended up falling asleep watching The Proposal. The meeting with the parents had gone better than she hoped and after the first five minutes her nerves had evaporated.

 **oOo**

Dudley had been watching Demelza closely for a while. There were little things that niggled at his memory on how Harry used to act; forever hiding something.

Suspicions were abound, but he hadn't been able to prove it. Whenever he was close to thinking he'd figured it out, something would happen to change his mind. He still didn't like that all he knew about her job was that she worked in the government, but he understood some jobs in the government required the secrecy and one wasn't allowed to tell anyone details.

Every few months he would start to second guess letting it lie, and then the same would happen: he could never get concrete proof she was a witch and if she wasn't, he didn't want to tell her and offend her somehow.

Today he had seen something rising and leaving the kitchen to the dining room when he had woken up, but when he blinked, it had been sat in the same place it had always been. He passed it off as his eyes playing tricks on him.

Last week, he had been having troubles lighting the fire when she said she could do it. What he had failed to do in forty minutes, she had done within two, and he found himself asking her how she managed it, she had pulled out a flint stick, saying she had been a girl scout and lit fires on jamborees all the once again he let it go.

Why was he still looking for clues? He had known her for a year and she had shown him she could be trusted. So why was he still so intent on finding things to tell him she was a witch?

He knew exactly why. He was so excited to know someone from that world to help him get into contact with Harry that he was projecting these things onto his girlfriend.

Dudley knew he had to stop, but he still held hope that one day he would find what he was looking for and be able to get into the magical part of the world.

 **oOo**

Small chapter but more to come!


	3. undying love

Thank you again to my amazing beta Sandra-Sempra! You did so much and I really appreciate it xoxo Hope you enjoy this chapter! More to come soon! **Chapter 3: Undying Love**

Dudley had been thinking a lot lately and how every time he mentioned going to Demelza's favourite restaurant she would get ansty and make up an excuse why they couldn't go at that time. Wondering why that was, he planned to ask her again when he knew she had no other plans because she had told him they could go to dinner Thursday night.

He hoped she would allow him to see one more part of her with letting him see the places she liked to frequent before they had met.

They were meeting for coffee again today and he would ask her then. He only had an hour to get ready so he quickly got in the shower and dressed in a black sweater and black, denim jeans. It was starting to get chilly outside and he didn't want to get sick; work was too busy for that and it would give Demelza another reason to back out of going to wherever she used to eat. It was also weird how he had never been told what the name was. He hadn't realised this fact until he wanted to think of where it would be in the city and whether he had been there or not.

Within thirty minutes he was ready and leaving, deciding the fifteen minute walk to the cafe was good for him, especially with how much he had been eating out with Demelza lately.

When he arrived she wasn't sitting in their usual spot, signalling the waitress he ordered the same for Demelza but he decided to get a caesar salad and water for himself.

Demelza walked in the same time as the food was set down in front of them and smiled at him.

"Something different today, Dud?" She asked.

"Yeah, I've been eating a lot of unhealthy food lately. How was your day yesterday? I missed yo,." blushing slightly at the last little bit of that sentence.

Smiling she said, "I missed you too. Sorry I couldn't make our usual lunch, the head of another department and my boss needed me to work through lunch. There was a major breach and we had to sort it out." Her eyes flicked down at her plate and frowned.

Not wanting to let that expression stick on her face, he made a joke about needing bigger britches if they couldn't hold things together. The atmosphere relaxed again almost instantly as she laughed in response.

"So I was thinking on Thursday we could go to the restaurant/pub you used to go to lunch." He spoken with confidence and determination.

Demelza looked up at him like a deer caught in headlights, quickly stating, "Ah it's closed for renovations this month. They were really outdated and needed a fresh look."

"Oh… okay… I guess we can go next month when it opens back up," he replied, thinking she already had said they were having renovations done, but didn't want to ruin the mood.

"Yeah…" she looked down at their entwined hands and Dudley followed her eyes, wondering when they had done that; he hoped that she left her hand in his, it felt nice.

Even though Dudley knew she was hiding something from him with her job and the restaurant, he knew over the last few months they had gotten really close and he was pretty sure he was falling harder for her with every passing day they spent together. He hoped they wouldn't be ripped apart by secrets.

 **oOo**

Dudley hadn't planned to get so involved with Demelza: this brilliant woman had snuck into his heart. He didn't have a clue when it had happened, but he had fallen completely and hopelessly in love and there wasn't a thing he could do about it.

Now to find the right moment to tell her. He had planned a dinner for her birthday and could tell her then. But what if she thought he was only saying it because of her birthday? He couldn't have that, when he said he loved her for the first time it had to be perfect.

He could plan it down to the last moment, but that wasn't what telling someone you love them should be about; there had to be the perfect moment where everything laid out before, obvious that love was shining around them.

There wasn't a moment like this for weeks and then one Monday he walked into their cafe, a small band off to the side singing of beautiful sunsets and roses, and he knew it was now or never as he looked into her blue eyes.

"Deme, I've had something on my mind as of late and I really need to get it off my chest. From the first day I met you, I felt like a piece of me had been found. I know we have only known each other for a year, and only been dating for three months so this may seem fast for you and you don't have to say it back if you don't feel it, but I really need to say it today." Dudley rambled on, getting more nervous as he went on.

"Say it Duds, and we will see if I want to say whatever it is back then." Her words were calm, having a pretty good idea what he was going to say. If he did say what he hoped, she wouldn't have a problem saying it back to him as she had been experiencing an extremely large amount of feelings for him as well.

"Okay… here it goes" he took in a large breath in and continued, "I love you and I think I have for a while now."

Demelza's face lit up as she smiled. "I love you too, Dudley and I know I've loved you for a while. You are the light of my day and I don't know where I would be if I hadn't of walked into the cafe that day."

Dudley couldn't help the massive grin that spread across his face., He reached across the table, placing his hand on her cheek as he leant forward to brush her lips to his. He could have sworn sparks filled the room, the music from the band fading, leaving only them in the cafe. Reluctantly, he pulled back and their hands locked. Without letting go of the other, they ordered a coffee and listened to the band, whose music became all the sweeter to their ears.

 **oOo**

Dudley sat in his office, staring down at the light blue box in front of him. Piers had told him there was only one place to buy a ring and that was Tiffany's. He had dragged his best friend and his wife along to help him pick the perfect ring, but when they got n there, he hadn't needed their help after all. There in the center of the display was the perfect ring.

It was simple but elegant, shining Demelza's personality with the fiery red ruby in the centre surrounded by small diamond. Flanking the ruby were two medium diamonds on either side, all on a band of gold. What really stood this ring apart were the little filaments of gold crossing each other, giving the effect of vines that wound through the garden of his mother's house. This ring, in a nutshell, was perfect and Piers and Illiana had to agree with his assessment.

Dudley had tried many times to ask her to marry him, but nothing was good enough. That is until Illiana took pity on him and told him to propose at their spot.

Their spot meaning the cafe, which he smiled at the revelation that every milestone in their relationship had been there. He got the cafe's help to set up a time. All he had to do was stand up, move his jelly legs and meet her there for lunch.

Except he couldn't stand. What if she said no? What if she laughed in his face? As Dudley starting panicking, Piers walked in and slapped him lightly across the face, "Man up, Dud! She is madly in love with you and she will jump at the chance to marry you!"

Dudley nodded, taking in three deep fortifying breaths as he stood up and put the ring box into his pocket, hoping they get there before she did so everything worked according to how he planned.  
Relief struck him when he received a text from her stating she was running behind. He smiling, thanking the heavens for being on his side..

Piers walked with him and sat down at a hidden table with his wife so they could watch as Dudley handed the ring over to the waitress pacing the floor and going over the plan repeatedly in his mind.

SItting down, he quickly straightened his posture to hide his nerves when she emerged into the cafe, smiling her beautiful smile. She bit her lip unknowingly as she half waved and sat down with him. The waitress, who Dudley had been arranging his plan with, came over, grinning at Dudley. , "the special today, sir?"

"Ah yes! The special will do perfectly." he stuttered out. Demelza narrowed her eyes, giving him a strange look and wondering why he seemed so different tonight.

Dudley flicked his eyes off to where he knew Piers and Illiana were and were met with beaming smiles from his friends who gave him the thumbs up. Dudley puffed a faint laugh as the waitress came back and set the drinks down in front of them."Enjoy!"

Dudley looked at the whipped cream in the drinks. "Be sure to only take a little at a time so you can get the full enjoyment out of the cream. It's worth it!"

She picked up her spoon, watching him stare at her as if waiting for something. Puzzled, she took a bite of the cream, savoring the taste it was normal, nothing special.

His eyes widened and quickly switched the cups around, "No! you took my whipped cream!"

"Dud, what does it matter? You can just have some of mine?" She said exasperatedly.

"No, mine is different than yours, you have to have a taste of yours." He could feel his hands grow clammy as his nerves began to rise..

"Okay then," Demelza side eyed her curiously behaving counterpart and took another spoonful. Before she could popped the spoon in her mouth, her eyes fell to the gold glint in her cup. .

"Take some more," he said anxiously.

She dug her spoon back into her cup and gasped. For there in the whipped cream, was a ruby gold ring. Moving her eyes up to lock with his, she could see a nervous grin spreading across his face.

Standing up and moving to stand next to her he knelt down, pulled the ring out of the cream and said in a steady voice that belied the shaking of his hands, "Will you, Demelza Robins, give me the honour of being your fiancé and marry me so I can show you for eternity how much I love you and how much light you shine into my life?"

Demelza gasped, placing her hands over her mouth as tears sprang to her eyes and nodded, "yes, yes Dudley I'll marry you!"

The cafe was filled with clapping as Dudley came to his feet, pulling her into his arms, and kissed her with all that he had.

Piers and Illiana came over smiling, "Told you you needn't worry, Dud!" his best mate said, slapping him on the back.

Congratulations were passed around and Demelza couldn't resist laughing and smiling. He loved her enough to ask her to be his wife, she had never thought she would have the love he showed her everyday. Now to start organising their wedding and tell her sister she was engaged.

Dudley couldn't help but keep his fiancé in his arms for the rest of their lunch together. She had made him the happiest man alive and they would have many years to show their devotion to each other.

 **oOo**

Demelza stood in front of the floor length mirror, looking at the dress she had chosen. The bodice was fitted and had an intricate floral pattern moving over it, off the shoulder sleeves made of a sheer. Lace material of the floor length skirt flowed around her hips, showing her figure off to perfection.

Her makeup was light so as to look natural and still hide her small blemishes. Her eye shadow was pearl in colour and her large full lips were painted with a natural lip gloss coated over them. Her fair blond hair was placed flowing down her back in voluminous curls with blue flower clips holding it all back from her face.

Under her dress hid a white corset with silver threading throughout and six inch pearl white high heels. They had silver leaves moving up and over the point and over the shoe, meeting at the toes. She had sheer, light coloured stockings as to hide her scars on her legs, gained from the war of her past. She was self conscious of them, and though Dudley has seen them,she still didn't want anyone else seeing them accidentally.

Taking a deep breath, she smoothed the skirt down and stepped off the pedestal, turning to her sister and asked, "Well, what do you think?"

"You are absolutely stunning and Dudley is one of the luckiest men on earth for catching a gem like you. Now, let's get out there and get you married!"Her sister, who was fashioned in a light blue floor length dress, held her arm to lead her out of the room and down the aisle, knowing Deme needed someone with her on this day because of their parents not being able to have the honour of giving her away.

As she rounded the last corner and came to the aisle between the seats, her eyes locked onto Dudley and everyone else melted away. He was wearing a black Armani suit and vest combo with a black shirt and light blue tie. Standing beside him were some of his workmates and his father all smiling at her.

Everyone stood and turned at once, gasps rent the air as they saw how beautiful she looked in her dress and at the natural glow that seemed to surround her as she was forced to walk slowly toward her soon to be husband.

Her sister had to physically slow her from racing down the aisle as she was trying to reach him and marry the love of her life.

The look in Dudleys eyes showed her the pure adoration and love he professed feeling for her. He was bouncing on the balls of his feet by the time she reached the end of the aisle, and basically dragged her to the end so he could hold her close. They hadn't seen each other in two days as per her family's traditions, and they had missed each other beyond measure.

Dudley grinned at Demelza.

Before Demelza could reply the officiating minister started, "Today, I will not speak of dearly beloved and betrothed, nor will I have any ancient rhymes of the married."

Dudley couldn't take his eyes off of his beautiful fiancé and hardly heard any of what the minister said but the crowd was enthralled with his words.

"There will be no use of dead languages on this most special day. Today we will talk of the solemnising of vows are alive between these two that stand before you and will remain alive forever."

There wasn't a dry eye in the crowd, listening to the words being spoken, and witnessing the love the two felt for one another.

Dudley felt a tear run down his face but he couldn't fathom separating his hands from Demelza's so he allowed it to fall.

"Today, these twos promises become everlasting and friends become family." The officiant spread his hands wide to include the whole of the guests.

"However," he paused and looked at the couple, "this day is not about the words spoken or rings exchanged, nor is it about grand pronouncements! This day! The day of Demelza's and Dudley's wedding- is about love. The love these two share and the love they give to all here today!" He exclaimed.

"One of my favorite authors once wrote, 'If love is not all, then it is nothing: this principle, and its opposite, collide down all the years of my breathless tale.' Demelza and Dudley, your breathless tale is about to begin."

Dudley looked at the officiant briefly, thinking they had found the perfect person to marry them.

"If the love you both share is not your all, then it is nothing. If your love for each other is all, then it is everything," smiling at the couple he then looked out at the crowd.

"Now from what I have seen from this couple as we have gotten to know one another, their love for the other has shone as everything to me. I now have the pleasure of asking these two loving people in front of you to recite their vows of promise."

He turned to Dudley first, "now, Dudley, I understand you have your own vows written to speak to Demelza. You may say them now!"

Dudley took a deep calming breath in and out, "Deme, from that first day in the cafe when you boldly came up to me and asked me if you could sit down at my table, I knew I was in for an adventure. What I didn't know, was that my heart had sat down across from me and I would never have to be alone again." He paused for a moment as a bubble of emotion got stuck in his throat, "you looked beyond my past and helped me to see that I was a better person. You accepted my many flaws and loved me for me and made the effort to become close to my parents and my best friend. I promise from this day forth you will have my undying love, my loyalty, and I will protect you from the storms that will come our way."

He let go of her hand with one of his, and wiped at the tears falling down her face. He went on, "I will be a devoted husband and if we get the miracle of having a child together I hope I can be a worthy father. I love you, Demelza, and can't wait to start our future together as husband and wife. You are my best friend, my rock and my life partner. I have found my eternity in your eyes and heart."

The officiant waited a moment to allow Dudley's words to sink in. Then turning to Demelza, "I understand you also have your own vows written?"

"Dudley, the moment I saw you sitting in that corner table at the cafe, the place so many of our special moments have happened, I knew deep down that I had to go over to you. There was a tugging sensation pulling me towards you." breathing in to contain her composure, she continued, "you have shown me a light where there was only darkness and you accepted my sister into your family without question. Everytime that you say I love you or smile my way, my heart soars and I feel like I can knock down a building - I feel that strong."

Dudley's eyes shone with unshed tears as she spoke of her love for him.

"You are my rock, my best friend, my love, my soul and my heart, and from this day forth I promise to love and protect you, to be there through the trials, and if we ever have children I hope I am a mother worthy of them and I know you will be an amazing father, I love you, Dud!"

Everyone seated could be seen wiping away tears and smiling up at the couple. Even Vernon Dursley seemed to show some emotion on his usually stoic face.

"Okay, now that their own vows have been said, they would also like to say the traditional vows so Dudley repeat after me!"

Dudley nodded at the officiant but didn't take his eyes off Demelza.

"In the name of God, I, Dudley, take you, Demelza, to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and health, to love and to cherish, until we are parted by death. This is my solemn vow."

Dudley repeated the vows back and placed the gold band with one small ruby and two diamonds onto her finger, Demelza looked down at her ring finger and the tears she had failed to refrain started flowing freely. It was really happening.

Giving her a moment, the officiant continued with a warm smile, "Demelza repeat after me!"

She nodded slightly, now only looking into Dudley's eyes, their guests fading from her vision once more.

"In the name of God, I, Demelza, take you, Dudley, to be my husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and health, to love and to cherish, until we are parted by death. This is my solemn vow."

With her left hand, she took the offered gold band with one small ruby and placed it on his right ring finger.

After both rings were presented, the officiant's smile widened, "with the power vested in me, by our Lord and queen, I now pronounce you Husband and Wife," pausing for a moment to let that sink in he then followed with, "you may now kiss the bride, Dudley!"

Dudley didn't have to be told twice. He leant down and placed his hand with the ring on her chin and slanted his lips over hers in a deep and passionate kiss. They continued until Piers wolf whistled and said to get a room, causing a ripple of laughs from their family and friends. Pulling back they grinned at each other, ready to begin their next chapter in their life together.

 **oOo**


	4. Chapter 4: Surprises and Revelations

**Here's the next chapter in our journey! Thank you to Sandra-Sempra for once again being the most amazing beta and cheerleader someone could have!**

 **Hope you enjoy xxoo**

 **Chapter 4: Surprises and revelations**

Demelza had been looking peaky for the past few months now and had been throwing up regularly almost _every_ morning. She couldn't handle most smells and was late, four months to be exact,putting off the inevitable for weeks now and could no longer ignore the signs.

She was currently in the bathroom at work, gathering the courage to perform the spell that would confirm her suspicions. There was a knock on the door and she knew she'd better hurry it up. Pulling her wand out of her pocket she pointed it at her abdomen. She took a deep, long breath before saying the spell _Infans revelare_ the light at the end of her wand moved to surround her abdomen and turned a light pink. Not only did she know she was officially pregnant, but discovered they were having a little girl.

Now to tell Dudley and there was only one place to do it… their cafe where everything important in their life occurred. Pulling her phone out and casting the signal boosting spell, she sent the text off, " _meet me at Prufock? Got something to tell you. My boss said I could leave early if you could."_

She sat there for a moment, waiting impatiently, and got an instant reply, " _leaving now, beautiful! See you soon :)"_

Walking back to her office she collected her bag, popped her head into her bosses office and told him she was heading out. Apparating to the bathroom in the cafe, she walked out and saw her husband sitting there waiting.

Dudley turned, saw her and stood smiling, "what's up? You aren't still sick are you?" The smile fell as he remembered how she had been throwing up and had lost some weight.

"Well… not _exactly…_ In about five months we will have a beautiful baby girl to look after." She toyed with the sleeve on her shirt, stopping and staring at him, waiting for it to sink in.

"You're pregnant? And it's a _girl_?" He slowly said, eyes growing wide.

"Yes… how do you feel about that?" Looking over at him nervously, yes they had talked about children, but that was in the future not now.

"This is the best news I've heard in awhile, besides the words _yes_ and _you may kiss your bride,_ " he said, looking ecstatic and sounding it. He stood up and came around the table, hugging her to him tightly and laying a kiss on her lips that lasted a bit too long for the public eye.

 **oOo**

The day had come. He was about to hop in the shower to get ready for work when he heard a loud scream from the bedroom. He quickly placed his dressing gown on and ran into the room.

The first thing he saw was his wife of eleven months standing hunched over in pain then pure fear rushed through him. They couldn't lose the baby this late into the pregnancy but then he saw the puddle of water at her feet. He breathed a sigh of relief, "Are you alright, love? How far apart are the contractions?" He asked as he was rushing around putting his clothes back on and grabbing her hospital bag.

It had been packed for weeks; they had unpacked and repacked it every few days, changing their minds on the outfit the baby would wear on the way home. They had decided to keep the sex of the baby a secret from their friends and family until she was born, so they had everything in neutral colours.

As Dudley was getting everything ready and listening to his wife tell him exactly what was going to happen to his balls if he didn't hurry up and get her to the hospital, he thought of his cousin and how he wished he had been able to get back into contact with him before the birth of his child. This was a big milestone and he wanted everything to be perfect.

Demelza screamed again and pulled Dudley out of his thoughts. Taking hold of her hand, he put his other hand around her back to help support her out to the car. He was glad the hospital was only a few minutes away from their house because he was completely scatterbrained and probably wouldn't have been able to drive too far.

Arriving at the hospital he found an orderly quickly and got his wife into a wheelchair, wheeling her up to the maternity floor where they were taken into the birthing room by one of the nurses. Dudley watched as they took measurements and called Demelza's doctor to let him know Baby Dursley was on the way. Within ten minutes he walked in and started to order the nurses around for what he needed.

" _Not too much longer now, you're about seven centimetres dilated,"_ he said looking up at the nervous couple.

Demelza peered up at Dudley, " _Andrea is going to be here soon,"_ with love shining from her eyes.

Dudley was nervous but he was also extremely excited. When they had found out about the pregnancy, they had already discussed whether or not they were ready so there was no shock as they had been trying for two months after the wedding.

It all came through really quickly after the doctor arrived and before long Demelza was pushing with Dudley silently screaming at his wife's grip on his hand, fearing it would be broken under her strength. About three hours after she really started to push a loud, piercing cry rent the room and the doctor wrapped their baby up, passing her to her mother.

Andrea Dursley coming into the world screaming was definitely going to be a stunner: her gorgeous tuft of hair was the same colour as her mother's, and she had her father's skin tone. After they had both held her for a while the Doctor asked the nurses to bring her over to his station so he could check her over. He announced she was a healthy six point five pound baby girl who was fifty-six centimetres long. Her breathing was perfect and all of her stats seemed to be in order.

Dudley quickly grabbed his daughter back from the nurses and as he was looking down at her, he missed the signal to his wife from the doctor that her magical core was in perfect order as well.

The Doctor left the parents alone and Dudley was smitten with his daughter when she started to cry because of hunger he instantly handed her over to Demelza and stood in awe of what he had helped create.

His parents were called and told their grand daughter had been born and all of their friends notified. There wasn't going to be much alone time for the couple and their baby girl until much later in the week as everyone wanted to come and visit.

Dudley couldn't be more happy with his little family if you paid him. He was also going to treat her a lot differently than his parents did to him, and vowed to teach her proper values.

 **oOo**

Demelza looked around smiling at all of the children running around and little Andrea crawling trying to catch up to them, it was her first birthday and Dudley had wanted to make her party massive; their little girl deserved the best birthday and that's _exactly_ what she got.

Petunia and Vernon Dursley were sitting off to the side trying to stay out of the way, but couldn't suppress the smiles at their granddaughter and how much she had grown in the past year.

Dudley was off making a nuance of himself with the entertainment while Demelza was placing out more food, not that she thought they needed as much as they had, but trying to tell Dudley that wasn't worth the trouble.

It was almost time for cake and presents and all of the adults had started to gather their children. Demelza was on the watch for all of the magical children there incase they had an accident with their magic, but so far so good.

She went and found Dudley, who telling a clown how he was too scary and he had to change before going to see the children. "Honey, leave the poor guy alone, it's time for the cake. Can you go get it from the kitchen and I'll get Ande?"

Scowling at the clown one last time, he nodded and walked off, "Sorry about that, he wants this to be perfect"

"All good, it's usually the mother that is at me, I've only had a few fathers try and question me on things," he said good naturedly with a smile.

Demelza responded with a smile of her own and walked towards her daughter, who was still trying to catch up with the other children, and picked her up swinging her in a circle, knowing it would make her daughter laugh. Sure enough, Andrea let out small chuckles.

"Ready for cake, my love?" she asked knowing she would only get babbling.

They got to the table as Dudley set the cake down and everyone gathered around to sing happy birthday. Demelza and Dudley had been practicing with Andrea for weeks with lighting the candles so she slowly could blow; the guests were about to start singing and Demelza was preparing to light the candle when a flame on the candle flickered to life.

"What was that!? You didn't have the lighter going," Vernon asked.

"Sure she did dad…" Dudley looked at her with a questioning look on his face.

She quickly nodded and said, "of course I did, how could it happen otherwise? Only way to light something is with a lighter or candle," everyone quickly nodded but you could see the confusion in everyone's face. Dudley and Vernon were sharing a suspicious look with one another.

The other witches and wizards in attendance also agreed quickly to try and throw everyone else off the trail. They were all wondering whose child had done it.

Demelza looked over at Andrea and shook her head. Surely not at this age, she was too young to be exhibiting signs wasn't she? The party ended soon after the cake was eaten and presents were open. They wanted to get the place in order as quickly as possible so Andrea could have a nap before they had a small family dinner together.

When Dudley had tucked her in and had come back out to the living room, he still had the same confused and suspicious expression on his face, trying to figure out whether he had seen what he thought he had or if his wife had actually lit the candle. Leaving it for another day where he had time to sit down and examine things, he sat down on the lounge next to his wife, who was passed out, and closed his eyes for a minute or two, intending to get back up and put away all of the presents. ithin a few seconds he was out too just like his wife.

 **oOo**

Dudley gazed around at the party room that had been set up in Time Out, an indoor children's playground in the centre of London, and smiled. Demelza had been planning this for months and it had all finally come together yesterday. The theme of the party was unicorns and rainbows and the establishment had not failed to deliver. Even the playground had been covered in rainbow glitter and unicorns littered the area. The had made an ice cream cake in the shape a unicorn head; chocolate, strawberry, caramel and vanilla, and had a rainbow horn. They were extremely impressed with how everything had turned out and how many of the children from Andrea's child care centre had come for it.

Presents abound sat on a table at the back of the room, and Ande couldn't wait to get her little hands on them. She didn't ask for a lot but on her birthday she knew she would be spoilt and she couldn't wait to take advantage of that.

Dudley looked at where his baby girl was sitting with some of her friends in the ball pit, he witnessed her point to the unicorn sitting across the room and could have sworn he had seen it float into the air and move toward his daughter. Not believing his eyes, he shook his head and looked again. The unicorn was sitting where it had been before. Putting it down to tiredness he let it go and thought of what else needed to be done.

He would later look back at the party and think of how the unicorn had floated,and add it to the long list of weird and unexplainable things happening to and around his daughter. He began to really suspect what shouldn't be, his daughter wasn't a witch.

But for now he wanted to get her and show her the cake and get things moving along. He went over and picked her up, swinging her around making her let a little laugh out and went and set her down to finish off the festivities.

How could Andrea be three already? The years flew by and before Dudley would know it, she would be going off to college and having a life away from him.

 **oOo**

Andrea was now five and Demelza was worried, her powers were growing more erratic and there was more and more accidental magic mishaps to hide. She was worried that soon there wouldn't be a way to hide it at all and she would have to say something. If they made it to her eleventh birthday without having to reveal she was a witch, Demelza could try and get someone to come and talk to Dudley about it.

Tomorrow was her fifth birthday party and if it was anything like the ones before it, it was going to be a day of trying to keep anything from triggering an outburst away from the magical children as people would surely start to get suspicious, especially Dudley. He had never said anything to her about it, but the way he looked sometimes had her wondering what he knew and why he hadn't spoken up.

There was also his mother and father, Petunia and Vernon. They were constantly eyeing Andrea with suspicion since her first birthday with the candle incident and her third birthday with the floating unicorn. Demelza frown at the memory of the time they were in a candy store and they had told Andrea to pick something out; some of the candy flying straight at them after that.

Once Dudley jumped in the shower to get ready, Demelza walked into Andrea's bedroom and sat down on the edge of the bed to talk to her about her magic, to allow small bursts here and there instead of letting it blow out of her all at once. This was the main problem for children, they didn't release their magic a lot so it would burst out in massive displays.

The next morning Demelza woke up early and made smiley pancakes for them all and prepared the house for the countless guests that would arrive soon.

She wasn't watching Andrea closely and didn't realise that Dudley hadn't gone into the city like he had said he was going to, and Andrea levitated some books around so that she could get one without bothering her mother.

Demelza heard a gasp and turned to see Dudley standing there, eyes open wide, looking at Andrea. She saw him shake his head and hold the bridge of his nose, and didn't know what had him looking as if he had seen a ghost. She was prepared for questions, but once again when he saw something he ignored it and walked out of the room. She often wondered when he was going to ask or figure it out, but he never said anything. Knowing Dudley, he would figure it out eventually but would want to have all of the facts of the situation first.

 **oOo**

Andrea's sixth year of living flew by and before Demelza and Dudley could live to appreciate their baby girl's childhood, she was seven and another year closer to being a teenager. For Dudley this meant her bringing boys home and going to parties, for Demelza it was another year closer to her having to tell Dudley about the massive secret she had kept from him for nine years.

How was she going to tell him? What was his reaction going to be? She thought of all this, knowing if she told him now it would be better, in four years it will be thirteen years of secret keeping and it would probably break them slightly, if not completely.

Today all of the family was coming around for a small birthday dinner for Andrea before Vernon and Petunia went away on a cruise. Andrea had been excited all week about this one night and had promised her mother she would try and control the magical outbursts. Demelza was worried they would be too much and everyone would find out. They would have to _deal_ with the breach before the Ministry got involved.

Demelza had only placed the food on the table as her in laws knocked on the door and came in, Andrea came running downstairs and jumped into her grandfather's arms, excited to see him, it had been a month since they had last came together and Andrea had missed her grandparents.

They all sat down and begun to eat, Petunia as usual, made a comment on the quality of meal and Andrea lost her temper. The young witch's eyes narrowed and the food on her grandmother's plate exploded into the air and the plate smashed.

Everyone sat in shock for a moment. Vernon's face went bright red and a vein in his temple started throbbing, having a flashback to the night Harry had blown up Aunt Marge and looked around the table in confusion. His eyes settling in on Andrea, the only child at the table, and squinted at her.

Demelza quickly said, "the heat must be affecting the plates and the dishes! I'm so sorry, Petunia, let me clean that up for you." Hoping they would buy the excuse. She stood standing when she saw them shake their heads, of course that's what happened, there was no way that Andrea was a witch.

The dinner carried on without any further incidents, and it was put out of everyone but Dudley's mind. He thought on it later and put it on the ever-growing list that would prove she was in _fact_ a witch. Once again leaving it alone for now, he jumped in the shower and wound down for the day.

 **oOo**

Let me know what you think if you want xxoo Next Chapter should be up soon


	5. Chapter 5: Back to Where it all Began

**So here's the final chapter of where it all bega. It's been an amazing journey following this little family and I almost didn't want to end it. This chapter has been ready for months but I didn't want it to end! Thank you to everyone who followed me on their journey. Some day I might come back to Dudley and Demelza and want to see where they went in the future so this might not be goodbye but see you later!**

 **Thank you again to SandraSempra for being the most amazing Beta and sticking with me through it all! Love you boo xxxooo**

* * *

 **oOo**

Dudley had finished bringing in all of the presents that Andrea had received at her ninth birthday party and she was sitting in the living room with Demelza going back through what she had received, she would look at each one play with it for a moment and then move onto the next one.

He was standing in the doorway and watching the excitement spread over his daughters face as she discovered what each new toy done, he saw the smile on Demelza's face as she got some alone time with their baby girl and he felt like the luckiest man alive that these two gorgeous ladies were his family and that he got to spend his whole life showing them how much he loved them.

Andrea continued on her feat to look through each gift, trying to hold off going to sleep after the excitement of the day, he saw her yawn widely and chuckled slightly at how much she was fighting the tiredness.

All in all the party had gone good, there was nothing weird go on like the rest of her parties and he had to wonder whether it was a trick of the mind. He flashed back to last years party when the table holding the fruit that Andrea had screamed about being the worst party food ever had suddenly collapsed after Demelza had told her that it was the only food they were getting unless something happened to it.

Andrea had looked at the table with a look of pure concentration coming across her features and then the table had collapsed, all of the food went flying onto the ground and everyone had stopped to stare, Dudley was suspicious but Demelza had played it off as it being a really old table that was surely over stuffed with the food and had ordered some party foods from the establishment that they were at making Andrea smirk up at her mother.

Everything had gone fine after that but Dudley still wasn't sure, as he started to really think about what happened Andrea squealed and called for him to see her newest find.

Coming back to the present he saw his daughter holding a rubix cube and she was trying to get the sides to match, she asked for his help and when he couldn't get it and had passed it back to her she looked at him with a look of determination and smiled across at her mother.

In the blink of an eye Andrea had the puzzle solved and was gleeful in her efforts, Dudley was gobsmacked and Demelza looked scared something more than his daughter being smart had happened there and Dudley suspected once again that his daughter was a witch.

Demelza started to congratulate her daughter and make a big deal of her solving it after so much effort had gone in and said to Dudley that he had gotten it close for her.

He was slightly confused but tucked it away in his mind for later and helped Andrea who had finally conceded to the war against sleep and would look at the clues later.

 **oOo**

Dudley sat Andrea down to her birthday breakfast covering her eyes so she couldn't see what it was, as he pulled his hands away from her eyes and she gasped at the smiley pancakes sitting on her plate he turned around to walk over to his wife when a tawny owl flew in the open window over the sink.

He stood there shocked, thinking that it was for him because he of course was the only one that knew anything about magic he went to hold his arm out so it could land when it flew straight past him and dropped the letter on Andrea's plate.

Mouth agape he walked over to her and saw the familiar crest on the back that he had seen so many times when his cousin had turned eleven and the letters had first started to come.

Flashbacks to the day the last letter arrived at his doorstep flooded his memory. He remembered the look on Harry's face when he was denied his letter, and the persistence of the school when they didn't receive a response, he wouldn't allow that to happen to his daughter.

He looked over to his wife of twelve years and saw her glancing at him and back to Andrea looking as if she was nervously waiting for a reaction.

Andrea jumped up and ran to her mother "I got it mum! Like you said I would!" Dudleys eyes clenched shut knowing that she had kept something this monumental from him for their relationship.

He had always suspected that there was something more going on but had never confirmed it. "Andrea, show Daddy?" He said with an excited tone to try and hide his anger at his wife for keeping this from him.

Andrea looked at her mother for approval and when she nodded ran back to her father and gave him the letter that had changed his whole existence when he was a child and had now changed things for him as an adult.

"A witch, darling, that's amazing, would you like to sit down for breakfast and then we can go get you a special present?" He asked of her.

"Really? Mum said that she didn't know how you would react" Andrea jumped slightly and hugged him, she sat down and practically inhaled her food.

She looked at her parents standing on opposite ends of the kitchen, frowned for a moment and then ran out of the room to go get ready to get a special present.

When she came downstairs again she heard her parents talking but as she went into the room they immediately stopped and went back to opposite ends of the kitchen.

Andrea ripped the wrapping paper off of the presents that were sitting in the corner and was amazed how spoilt she was by everyone, even Grandpa Dursley and Grandma Dursley had gotten her heaps of presents.

She couldn't wait to be able to thank them but first she would get her special present from her dad.

He went upstairs while she put her presents away in her room and got ready to go, he was quieter than he usually was on her birthday but she suspected that was because of the letter that had changed everything for her.

She wondered what house she would be in when she got to Hogwarts and hoped to get into the same house as her mother had been in so she wouldn't feel as alone when she went. Because of her dad being a muggle and not knowing about the wizarding world her and her mother had lost all contact with people so she wouldn't have any friends.

The reaction of her father's was weird, he hadn't even blinked at seeing the letter and knew exactly what it meant. How was that possible when they had never told him and hidden her accidental magic outbursts from him?

 **oOo**

Dudley waited until he had tucked Andrea in that night before confronting Demelza about their daughter's letter arriving this morning and why she hadn't told him that she was a witch. This was good for the family, he knew that his parents wouldn't be happy but he was ecstatic, having a way into the wizarding world he could try and contact Harry now and have more success than he had in the last twenty odd years.

That's if Harry was still alive, he knew that Harry was the head of the war so anything could have happened since they parted ways to go into hiding.

He hoped that Harry had survived and that he was getting his happy life that he so deserved, there was no one alive that deserved happiness more than Harry who had been through so much. Dudley walked into the bedroom that he shared with his wife and stood there waiting.

Demelza turned and faced him, she looked as if she was waiting for a blow up and when he asked "so why didn't you tell me?" In a calm voice she was shocked beyond belief.

"I thought you'd have a stronger reaction than this and be a bit confused" she said sounding slightly confused by his complete non reaction.

"Don't change the subject, why didn't you tell me?"

"I thought that you would leave and technically speaking we aren't allowed to talk about it to any muggles" she said looking down waiting for the question of what a muggle was.

"I would never leave you because of you being a witch"

"Aren't you going to ask what a muggle is?"

"No because I know that it is a non magical person, now as I was saying don't ever think that I would leave you because of that."

"How do you know about witches and wizards?" With a look of pure shock and confusion on her face.

"My cousin he got his letter when he was eleven as well…" trailing off he looked to be reminiscing on something far in the past.

Demelza gasped a breath in, "your cousin was a wizard? How did I not know? Why haven't I met him?" Firing questions off rapidly.

"He was, because I never brought it up because I lost contact with him more than fifteen years ago… more like nineteen now and I don't know if he's even alive still…" a look of pure sadness overcame Dudley's face.

Demelza was shocked to say the least "who is your cousin? What magical school did they go to? Why did you lose contact with him?"

"Harry went to Hogwarts, he was a target and therefore our family was as well so he went his way and we went into hiding"

"You surely don't mean Harry Potter!" She exclaimed. The only Harry that she had known at Hogwarts was Harry Potter, her fellow Gryffindor and the wizarding world hero.

"What you know him?" Wondering how it would be if she did know his cousin, they could get back into contact and try and repair the relationship that had broken.

"He was in the year above me at Hogwarts and we were in the same house, I also played Quidditch with him" at Dudley's confused expression she explained, "Quidditch is a wizard sport, I played as chaser for our house team."

"Do you still know how to get in contact with him?" He asked hopefully.

"It's easy, I can either send him an owl or I can go to work and to his department to see him"

"Can we? I'd like to see if he'd like to meet up"

"I'll ask my boss if I can bring you into the Ministry with me and we can go together" with a smile she walked closer to him, "we will sort this out you know? We can do anything together"

"Why did you never tell me that you were a witch? I thought that'd be something you told me before we took a massive step of getting married"

"Because we technically aren't allowed to say anything, if anyone found out I had before our daughter showed her magic or received her letter you could have been obliviated" Dudley looked at her with a sadness that destroyed her, after this she knew that she wouldn't keep another thing from him.

"I wish you had told me, but the past is the past and let's move on, I don't want animosity between us, I love you, Deme" he moved over to her and pulled her into his arms holding her close.

Dudley suddenly had a thread of hope blossoming within his chest that he would be reunited with his cousin.

 **oOo**

Four months had passed since Dudley had his suspicions confirmed and now it was time for his little girl to go off to Hogwarts, a week after she had received her letter and he had talked to Demelza they had met up at their cafe during work hours and he got a shock when she walked in with another man, at first from the distance he didn't recognise who it was, as they moved closer though and his cousins features showed clearer he became ecstatic.

His wife had done it, she had convinced Harry to meet him and see how they could build a relationship, after that they would meet once a week and after a month, Harry's wife had joined them and then they had organised to meet each other at a park to introduce their kids to each other.

Now they were standing on Platform Nine and Three Quarters together with his two friends Hermione and Ron, who had ended up married with kids of their own, they stood there watching as their children talked about what houses they would be in and Dudley couldn't be more proud of his baby girl, Andrea had grown a lot in the last few months knowing that she was going to have to leave her parents and had cousins to hang out at school with had made things slightly better.

Ten forty-five came and the children came back to their parents to say their goodbyes and give hugs, knowing that they wouldn't see their family until Christmas time.

"Make to write to us as soon as you can to tell us what house you got sorted into" Demelza said with a slight catch in her words, she was trying to hide the tears until Andrea was on the train.

"I will mum, I love you" she gave her mother a hug and then turned to Dudley, he could see the tears forming in her eyes and he felt the emotions bubbling up within himself, they hadn't been apart for more than a day since she was born and she was his little girl, she was close to her mother but she was clearly a daddy's girl and had always found it hard to be separated from him.

"Come on, sweetie, we will write to each other and see each other on holidays, I'll miss you and I love you but this is going to be so much fun for you" he said to her, his voice cracking slightly at the end.

She nodded and quickly hugged him before stepping back and turning to walk onto the train with her cousins following her.

Maybe they would stick together and be there to support each other in the new environment.

Once the clock struck eleven and the train moved away all of the parents stood for a moment and left. Dudley and Demelza going to their favourite cafe, where it had all begun.

Demelza had something big to tell him and they had always done big announcements there.

They sat down at their usual table and the waitress gave a nod to them telling them that their order would be placed, they hadn't once changed it since the first day over thirteen years ago.

"So I went to the doctors the other day…" she said trailing off leaving it for him to try and guess what was wrong.

"What's wrong? How bad is it? Do I need to add extra insurance?" Dudley said freaking out slightly, all the worst case scenarios running through his head all worse than the one before.

"Dudley! Calm down! I'm not sick… well I do have nausea… but I'll be better in about five months time…" once again pausing, letting what she had said sink in.

"You're pregnant? We are having a baby?" He said sounding slightly nervous but an air of excitement seemed to be surrounding him.

"I am Pregnant" she said.

Dudley was up and out of his chair and had Demelza in his arms within seconds, they were going to have another baby, he hoped this time it would be a son so they could have one of each.

 **The end.**

 **Hope you enjoy xxx**


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